Red
by Quicksilvermad
Summary: Theme #003 RED: Movie-verse, 1st movie. Flowers weren't his thing… So what was this rose doing on of her desk?


**TITLE: **Red  
**AUTHOR:** Quicksilvermad  
**SUMMARY:** Movie-verse. Flowers weren't his thing… So what was this rose doing on of her desk?  
**GENRE:** Romance  
**RATING:** PG  
**PAIRING: **Tony/Pepper  
**DISCLAIMER:** _Iron Man _etc. belong to Marvel Comics et. al.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **For the 100 Themes Challenge over on LJ (at the Pepperony100 community)

* * *

There was a single red rosebud in a simple crystal vase perched in the center of her desk. No card, no ribbon… Just one of a gorgeous flower and a classy-looking vase.

Pepper cautiously placed her purse in her desk drawer and locked it away—never taking her eyes off the velvety red rose as she slowly walked back to the receptionist. The grin, coupled with the girly elbows-on-the-table-chin-cupped-in-hands gesture let Pepper know that Janine knew exactly _what _was set innocuously on Miss Potts' desk.

"Did you see who that was from, Janine?"

The girl (a former hostess at one of Tony's favorite restaurants whom he hired after she handled a paparazzi fiasco) no older than nineteen, waggled her eyebrows. "Sure did—Mr. Stark himself. He was a complete _wreck_ when he brought it in, too. Kept going in with a note, coming back out with it—without it… I didn't see if he left it or not, but it was probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen."

Pepper gave Janine a dry look.

Janine released her own chin and held her hands up in innocence. "Hey, he's the boss-man… And I have never seen him so nervous in my time here. Until today I had no idea he was even capable of _feeling _nervous."

Pepper leaned against the younger woman's desk and twisted her hair on one of her fingers. She didn't even notice her own actions.

"…Didn't figure Mr. Stark for a 'flower' kind of guy," Janine continued.

"He's not," Pepper muttered.

"You do know he's probably in his office staring at the door you usually walk through, don't you?"

"Probably not."

"Miss Potts, he was _fidgeting._ And doing this cute little thing with his lips…"

_Quirked to the left, eyes wide and expressive, brows upswept, hair unkempt… Utterly handsome and completely… _Pepper cut herself off and looked at Janine.

She was doing that "go on" wave with her tiny French manicured hands.

Pepper shook her head and returned to her desk.

The rose hadn't moved.

She looked closer. The stem was trimmed of leaves and she could see precise knife work where thorns had once protected it. The edges of the petals were slightly darker than the rest—it wasn't a flower from a shop.

Tony had actually gone out and cut this himself.

Pepper fingered the soft edge of the rose petals and lifted the vase.

There was a knock on the door to her office—coming from Tony's side. Pepper had to clear her throat before answering.

"Come in."

He entered—already showing uncharacteristic signs of _nervousness _as he fiddled with the end of his red tie. He looked good—very handsome in his dark suit, white shirt, and messy hair. He tugged on one sideburn as he looked at her. Again, _nervous. _Why?

"Hi," he said.

Pepper blinked and parroted his greeting right back at him. "Hi…"

"Uh," he coughed into his fist and stepped a little closer. "Happy Valentine's day."

Pepper blinked.

_That's right… It's February the fourteenth. Tony has a meeting in two days with SHIELD regarding—_

"Pepper? Is it too much? Did I cross a line or something? I mean, I woke up yesterday and thought you might appreciate something special today since… Well, since I forgot your birthday last year."

Pepper still stared at him.

"Please say something," he begged.

It jolted Pepper out of her daze. "Oh! No," she shook her head and glanced down at the flower. "You didn't. Cross any line, that is. It's… It's very…"

She smiled and looked directly at him and Tony couldn't help but smile back.

"It's very sweet, Tony. Thank you."

_Take some initiative, woman! _She screamed at herself. In seconds she closed the space between them with a quick kiss on his cheek. When she pulled away, Pepper kept her eyes glued to the red rose in the delicate crystal vase that she held in both hands.

"Happy Valentine's day."

Tony smiled and shifted his lips to the left to keep it from becoming a full-on toothy grin. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked a bit on his heels.

"See you at lunch?" he asked.

"Sure."

"It's a date."

Pepper didn't bother correcting him—instead she simply nodded and bit her lower lip. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" she asked—a teasing note in her voice.

Tony quickly kissed her cheek in retaliation and swiveled on his heels to head back to his office. "That will be all, Miss Potts."

Pepper blushed and glanced back at her desk. There was a note—previously hidden beneath the vase. Pepper curiously picked it up and read it quietly to herself—blushing further.

_A rose for my rosy-cheeked girl.  
Love,_

_Tony_

Sometimes, Tony Stark could be impossibly sweet.

* * *

**End**


End file.
